With the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions both Super Bowl contenders, fans north of the border are nervously hopeful a title drought could end.According to The New York Times, the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions are both considered Super Bowl contenders, causing fans in southern Ontario to nervously hope for an end to their title drought.
Around ten years ago, Mike Smith attempted to capture the negative atmosphere of his local bar, Joe Kool’s. The favorite sports teams of the patrons had been experiencing seasons without any wins, playoff droughts, and major collapses. In response, Smith designed a T-shirt featuring a map of southern Ontario with London at the center, connected to Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, and Toronto. Above the map were the words “The Epicentre of Losing” with a red arrow pointing at London.
Since then, London has transformed into a hub of winning, to some extent. The Toronto Maple Leafs have not won a Stanley Cup since 1967, but have made it to the playoffs for eight consecutive seasons (although they have lost in the first round almost every time). The Cleveland Browns last won an NFL title in the year of the Beatles’ arrival in America, but the crosstown Guardians have made it to the American League playoffs six times since 2016.
However, the real turnarounds have been seen in the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions, two traditionally struggling teams in the NFL. They both convincingly won their divisions this season and are now considered serious contenders for the Super Bowl. This has brought joy to their fans in southern Ontario, which lies between the two cities.
Charlie Smith, who runs Joe Kool’s with his father, explains that there is a mutual respect and sympathy among Bills and Lions fans. He believes that Rust Belt cities do not often catch a break, which is why he is happy for both teams.
Despite being a four-hour drive apart, the cities have many similarities, from closed factories to rundown neighborhoods and fading histories. The Bills’ original owner, Ralph Wilson, was close with the Ford family, who still owns the Lions. Wilson even kept his office in Detroit, and the two teams used to play preseason games. In 2022, the Bills played a home game in Detroit due to snowstorms in Buffalo.
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